Sheila

#2,645 for girls in 2025, 65 births · Last seen for boys in 1989 at #5,615
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1963 · 8,706 births
Debut · girls
9 births
In top 100 · girls
30 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
238,774
since 1907

Sheila over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201938peak #50, 1963girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2,64565
2024#2,01197
2023#1,934102
2022#1,659127
2021#1,768115
2020#1,593131
2019#2,09090
2018#2,02696
2017#1,930104
2016#1,815114
2015#1,704124
2014#1,410162
2013#1,514145
2012#1,523145
2011#1,289183
2010#1,278186
2009#1,392170
2008#1,145224
2007#988271
2006#938279
2005#1,015240
2004#802315
2003#815303
2002#722340
2001#657383
2000#688343
1999#653353
1998#662348
1997#698309
1996#605378
1995#582395
1994#563419
1993#462543
1992#400642
1991#406633
1990#413626
1989#385658#5,6158
1988#349711#5,7517
1987#306800
1986#261979#5,9266
1985#2511,012
1984#267908
1983#249946#6,2385
1982#2311,099#5,6196
1981#2171,214#4,9617
1980#2141,214#6,2505
1979#1951,368#6,0565
1978#1841,414#4,5547
1977#1631,656#4,1648
1976#1431,871#3,09512
1975#1342,099#3,9418
1974#1212,438#3,12011
1973#1012,999#3,4459
1972#903,394#3,3449
1971#814,333#2,55814
1970#754,937#3,07110
1969#685,245#2,13016
1968#595,730#2,03016
1967#566,326#1,47627
1966#517,208#1,96316
1965#507,904#1,45628
1964#518,471#1,85019
1963#508,706#1,74421
1962#528,778#1,45429
1961#597,805#1,87619
1960#567,905#1,81220
1959#527,984#1,70922
1958#597,291#1,83819
1957#587,763#1,95217
1956#557,872#1,88618
1955#577,661#3,2017
1954#607,202#2,11414
1953#606,965#1,90017
1952#646,217#2,15313
1951#695,897#2,13513
1950#705,322#1,94115
1949#764,774#2,22512
1948#715,022#2,44310
1947#735,095#2,25112
1946#704,706#2,6908
1945#893,178#2,7437
1944#1032,665#1,81015
1943#923,063#2,07413
1942#942,973#2,04213
1941#1102,341
1940#1301,923
1939#1251,957#2,6098
1938#1361,784#2,18511
1937#1421,573#2,08812
1936#1571,312#2,8547
1935#1511,326#3,2526
1934#222781#3,2776
1933#226737
1932#251609
1931#265538
1930#363341
1929#367332#3,9595
1928#433242
1927#455233
1926#479210
1925#473214
1924#574162
1923#625139
1922#661120
1921#707110
1920#76291
1919#83569
1918#82176
1917#89659
1916#1,02645
1915#1,02542
1914#1,08031
1913#1,35818
1912#1,17820
1911#1,03118
1910#1,52110
1909#1,15213
1908#1,26111
1907#1,3849
1906
1905
1904
1903
1902
1901
1900
1899
1898
1897
1896
1895
1894
1893
1892
1891
1890
1889
1888
1887
1886
1885
1884
1883
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1907

The first year at least five girls were named Sheila! It came in at #1,384, and was given to 9 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1907–1910, when fewer than 14 girls a year got the name.

Where Sheila is popular in 1938

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedAKMaine: #72 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 250 girlsMEVermont: #70 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 235 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #92 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 341 girlsNHWashington: #92 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 406 girlsWAIdaho: #178 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 835 girlsIDMontana: #81 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 279 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #136 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 586 girlsNDMinnesota: #137 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 840 girlsMNIllinois: #88 for girls · 142 births · 1 in 389 girlsILWisconsin: #120 for girls · 34 births · 1 in 702 girlsWIMichigan: #126 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 693 girlsMINew York: #46 for girls · 495 births · 1 in 173 girlsNYMassachusetts: #46 for girls · 176 births · 1 in 160 girlsMARhode Island: #66 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 215 girlsRIOregon: #132 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 626 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #185 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 918 girlsSDIowa: #147 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 822 girlsIAIndiana: #140 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 869 girlsINOhio: #116 for girls · 87 births · 1 in 587 girlsOHPennsylvania: #154 for girls · 80 births · 1 in 929 girlsPANew Jersey: #82 for girls · 75 births · 1 in 329 girlsNJConnecticut: #65 for girls · 49 births · 1 in 201 girlsCTCalifornia: #97 for girls · 102 births · 1 in 436 girlsCAUtah: #98 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 399 girlsUTColorado: #164 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 740 girlsCONebraska: #152 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 903 girlsNEMissouri: #224 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 1,491 girlsMOKentucky: #346 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 3,136 girlsKYWest Virginia: #134 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 595 girlsWVVirginia: #206 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 1,324 girlsVAMaryland: #173 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 1,036 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedDEArizona: #225 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 938 girlsAZNew Mexico: #242 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,109 girlsNMKansas: #155 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 879 girlsKSArkansas: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedARTennessee: #325 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 3,014 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #326 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 3,080 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #391 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 4,100 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #123 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 555 girlsDCOklahoma: #278 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 1,694 girlsOKLouisiana: #295 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 1,709 girlsLAMississippi: #455 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 4,511 girlsMSAlabama: #480 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 5,865 girlsALGeorgia: #321 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 2,568 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Sheila, so not publishedHITexas: #366 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 2,404 girlsTXFlorida: #292 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 1,939 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Massachusetts#46 · 1 in 160
  2. New York#46 · 1 in 173
  3. Connecticut#65 · 1 in 201
  4. Rhode Island#66 · 1 in 215
  5. Vermont#70 · 1 in 235

Best ever in a state: #15 in North Dakota, 1965.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#461761 in 160
New York#464951 in 173
Connecticut#65491 in 201
Rhode Island#66201 in 215
Vermont#70101 in 235
Maine#72251 in 250
Montana#81141 in 279
New Jersey#82751 in 329
Illinois#881421 in 389
New Hampshire#9291 in 341
Washington#92271 in 406
California#971021 in 436
Utah#98121 in 399
Ohio#116871 in 587
Wisconsin#120341 in 702
District of Columbia#12391 in 555
Michigan#126611 in 693
Oregon#132101 in 626
West Virginia#134321 in 595
North Dakota#13691 in 586
Minnesota#137251 in 840
Indiana#140301 in 869
Iowa#147231 in 822
Nebraska#152101 in 903
Pennsylvania#154801 in 929
Kansas#155141 in 879
Colorado#164121 in 740
Maryland#173121 in 1,036
Idaho#17851 in 835
South Dakota#18551 in 918
Virginia#206181 in 1,324
Missouri#224181 in 1,491
Arizona#22551 in 938
New Mexico#24251 in 1,109
Oklahoma#278121 in 1,694
Florida#29271 in 1,939
Louisiana#295131 in 1,709
Georgia#321121 in 2,568
Tennessee#32591 in 3,014
North Carolina#326121 in 3,080
Kentucky#34691 in 3,136
Texas#366241 in 2,404
South Carolina#39151 in 4,100
Mississippi#45551 in 4,511
Alabama#48051 in 5,865
Alaska
Arkansas
Delaware
Hawaii
Nevada
Wyoming

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Sheila
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 634 spots since 2024 (#2,011#2,645)
  • 1,052 spots since 2020 (#1,593#2,645)
  • 941 spots since 2015 (#1,704#2,645)
  • Biggest jump: 130 spots in 1917 (#1,026#896)
  • Biggest drop: 213 spots in 2005 (#802#1,015)
Rise & fade · girls
56 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1907
  • Peaked 1963 at #50 (8,706 births)
  • Births halved by 1971, 8 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 30 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 30 yrs · run 1945–1972
  • Top 1,000: 90 yrs · run 1917–2004
Share of babies · girls
1 in 221
  • Highest: 1 in 221 girls born in 1963 were named Sheila (0.45%)
  • Latest: 1 in 24,727 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1960s
  • 31.0% of all girls named Sheila (74,078) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1900s33#1,152 (1909)#1,266
1910s388#821 (1918)#1,077
1920s1,853#367 (1929)#554
1930s10,958#125 (1939)#204
1940s35,740#70 (1946)#91
1950s70,174#52 (1959)#60
1960s74,078#50 (1963)#55
1970s26,509#75 (1970)#129
1980s9,541#214 (1980)#273
1990s4,646#400 (1992)#544
2000s2,868#657 (2001)#916
2010s1,349#1,278 (2010)#1,658
2020s637#1,593 (2020)#1,935

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Sheila in 1938

girls
#136
1,784 births · 1 in 619 girls
boys
#2,185
11 births · 1 in 100,832 boys

Top girls' names in 1938

  1. #1Mary56,225
  2. #2Barbara39,277
  3. #3Patricia27,560
  4. #4Betty25,506
  5. #5Shirley23,766
  6. #6Carol19,421
  7. #7Nancy18,951
  8. #8Dorothy16,358
  9. #9Margaret15,330
  10. #10Joan14,303
  11. #136Sheila1,784

Top boys' names in 1938

  1. #1Robert62,271
  2. #2James59,102
  3. #3John50,517
  4. #4William42,433
  5. #5Richard34,385
  6. #6Charles31,151
  7. #7Donald26,677
  8. #8David22,994
  9. #9Thomas21,381
  10. #10Ronald20,295
  11. #2,185Sheila11
More about 1938

girls

1,103,456 girls got a published name in 1938; 1 in 619 of them was named Sheila, which outranked 97.3% of the 4,995 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sheila
  1. #133Suzanne1,807
  2. #134Myrna1,801
  3. #135Vivian1,797
  4. #136Sheila1,784
  5. #137Elsie1,775
  6. #138Georgia1,762
  7. #139Billie1,746
Biggest movers since 1937
Risers
  1. 2,209Danielle#2,940#731
  2. 833Lorelei#1,451#618
  3. 623Helaine#1,493#870
  4. 399Janine#1,330#931
  5. 392Imelda#1,282#890
Fallers
  1. 1,261Noreta#964#2,225
  2. 513Norita#532#1,045
  3. 432Noretta#856#1,288
  4. 366Ferne#950#1,316
  5. 327Verdell#904#1,231

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,109,147 boys got a published name in 1938; 1 in 100,832 of them was named Sheila, which outranked 45.8% of the 4,035 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sheila
  1. #2,084Woodroe12
  2. #2,084Yancy12
  3. #2,084Ysidro12
  4. #2,185Sheila11
  5. #2,185Adalberto11
  6. #2,185Ancel11
  7. #2,185Angela11
  8. #2,326Ada10
  9. #2,326Afton10
  10. #2,326Alger10

Tied with 140 names at #2,185; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1937
Risers
  1. 1,314Dion#2,197#883
  2. 448Tex#1,212#764
  3. 425Lonny#1,233#808
  4. 401Gonzalo#1,180#779
  5. 383Lance#722#339
Fallers
  1. 741Worth#1,000#1,741
  2. 528Estel#869#1,397
  3. 492Milburn#845#1,337
  4. 412Lonzo#835#1,247
  5. 405Joy#932#1,337

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1938